


No One Knows

by SisterWine



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Angel Can't Sing, Angel's An Arse, Corruption, F/M, Give Lindsey A Chance, Lindsey's Song Is Heaven, On Your 6, Past Dead End, Redemption, Unending Love, longevity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-04-13 22:53:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4540512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SisterWine/pseuds/SisterWine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lindsey has a problem and needs certain help. Angel and his team have a case and need Lindsey's help.</p>
<p>Disclaimer:  "Angel the Series" and characters of program belongs to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy/Lazy Dave Productions. I own Jadera/Ja De Ra. I make no moneys on this fic. This is purely fiction. I do NOT buy, sell, steal or trade fan fics for ANY reason. I HATE Plagiarists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Set after "Dead End".

One

Lorne's Club, Caritas

Stepping down the stairs in single file and making their way to the bar, Cordelia, Angel, Wesley and Gunn debated on the song Angel should sing, to help in their current case of a stolen obelisk on display from the Cairo Museum. The same artifact was said to conceive great power that was only usable every 1,000 years, on a full moon of Capricorn. As it stood, the obelisk had been needed for a ritual to resurrect the God Amun Te Ra. It had been in Cordelia's vision of virgin women bathed in white cotton gowns while men in gold robes brought the women to a circle and stood behind them, sacrificing them with long, jagged Athamés.

Cordelia had ordered a glass of club soda for her headache and promptly placed the side of the glass to her right temple, in attempt to cool her pounding nerves. "Just lay off the high notes. And nothing from Barry Manilow." Her head pounded and even though the crowd had been somewhat bland, she still winced at the noise of conversations.

Frowning, Angel shook his head as he flipped through the songbook. He hadn't paid any mind to any of the patrons of Lorne's establishment, nor had he minded the bartender as a young Eghar demon (a nonviolent variety) took their drink orders. Instead, he waffled through the pages between Kansas and Queen. He had been so focused on picking out a song that his nose had missed the scent of a certain handsome, young, lawyer that had entered and made his way across the dimly lit room, to a table, in the corner, where a beautiful young woman waited.

"Hey, ain't that--?" Gunn stood closest to the doorway and watched as Lindsey entered, passing by everyone without a word.

Wesley stood next to Cordelia, on the other side of Angel and Gunn and turned from the bar and his drink and followed where Gunn had pointed. "Lindsey. What's he doing here?"

Cordelia rolled the glass at her temple back and forth, still feeling dull throb of her headache but perked up when she heard Lindsey's name. "Is he going to sing? Cause, I could really use a soothing voice, right now." She sat on a bar stool and spun around to look at the young man, across the room, as Angel caught the corner of her eye with a grimace. "Lorne, who's that with Lindsey?" She caught the demon host by the sleeve and pointed to the woman, sitting calmly across from Lindsey, in the dark.

Lorne glanced at the other side of the room and turned back to lean in and share as the other huddled around him. "She calls herself Jadera."

Wesley perked up at the name. His childhood fascination of antiquities came rushing back to him and whispered secrets of every god and goddess he had studied. Her name had both intrigued him and frightened him. He had never thought he would use the information he knew of her, in his assignments, let alone be within striking distance of the very subject. "Jadera. Are you sure?" Wesley's brow furrowed in confusion.

Lorne nodded. "Yep. Just got into town last night. It looks like 'hot stuff' is becoming pretty popular with the out-of-town crowd." He had taken pride in looking very flamboyant and sharply dressed, every night. Tonight, he wore a red button down shirt under a dark green sport coat with an orange kerchief in his left breast pocket. His pants were matched his jacket and had been pressed with a sharp crease to them.

Gunn moved from the other side of Angel and made his way to stand to Wesley's right. "She a demon?" He eyed her, trying to see anything that didn't look human, or of that looked different and subtle enough to pass as human.

Lorne turned his attention to a few sloth demons who entered and waved to the host, before turning back to Gunn and Wesley and clarified. "Immortal." He had known a little about her, upon his entrance to their universe but had never come into contact with her. "She's what the ancients would call a 'deity'. Some mystic being that can charm or curse you, depending on what side of the sarcophagus she rises from." He smiled and winked at the small joke. He had known a little more than he was letting on but it was Lindsey's business and it considered it rude to talk about private matters to people not invested in the situation. 

Angel had finished his selection and turned to see what had caught everyone's attention about the ex-Wolfram & Hart pretty boy lawyer and his date. "Immortal? The only Immortal is a jerk by the name of--" He was cut off as Lorne shook his head again but kept his piercing red eyes on the two people in question. 

"No, sweetcakes. She's the real deal. Human, I mean. Something about a prophecy of Ancient Egypt or Rome or Greece. Pretty powerful stuff, too. I've only heard her name one other time and," he turned to place a hand on Angel's shoulder and look at his vampire friend, "thousands of Crusaders suffered her wrath. Know what I'm saying? If she's here, talking with him, well... it might be time to cash in on some much needed holidays." With a smile and a small wave, Lorne went back to mingling with his guests.

"Of course! Jadera the Immortal." Wesley's eyes widened as the name rang a bell in his mind. His Watcher studies included a long section of time-consuming scrolls that cataloged the very being they watched Lindsey talking to. "Ja De Ra was believed, by some scholars, as being a small child when Alexander the Great took power. Others have dated her back further as being a slave in King Menes' court. Menes was the first Pharaoh of Egypt. She was but a child of five, then, and hadn't aged more than a few years when Cleopatra was murdered by Augustus. The age we see her now, was brand new to her during the Crusades. The outcome enraged her terribly and she took refuge in the Valley of the Kings, for a millennia." Focusing completely on the young woman that sat very regal in the chair, across from Lindsey, yet wore figure-hugging black jeans and a sleeveless, blue midriff shirt that exposed her alabaster skin bearing the Eye of Horus on her left forearm.

 

##%##

 

Lindsey sighed as he shifted uneasily in his chair. "Thanks for meeting me. I know you had to come a long way and I'm sorry. I just-- I needed to see you." A tremble ran through his body and he caught her piercing sapphire eyes that seemed to find the depth of his very soul, in one blink. He looked away and then back to stare at the table between them. "I wasn't sure you'd come." The stress rolled off of him in waves and he inhaled to catch himself before letting anyone else become aware of his vulnerabilities. He had been fresh from the shower and had changed to brown khakis and a tan polo shirt and still felt dirty from the thought of his old office. Running a hand through his short hair, Lindsey forced himself to relax under the atmosphere of the club and offer a small smile to the woman across from him.

It had been Lindsey's idea to meet her at Caritas due to it's rule against violence. He knew he'd be safe but also knew that all were welcome. That would mean, even if someone found out he was back in town and saw him there, they could alert others to his location and grab him after he left. Lorne was not one to grant asylum, for long. He had put himself and Jadera in jeopardy by meeting her in Los Angeles.

Jadera, on the other hand, had been established enough that nothing had frightened her or could have been used as a threat against her. She was not indestructible but merely would outlive her pursuers. She had always kept Lindsey within her sights and made herself available to him, if ever he needed it. Wolfram & Hart hadn't liked the idea of their mingling, especially since she had lead the prodigal son away from their agenda. The senior partners had only threatened to come after her for blocking their attempts to convert Lindsey, completely. Jadera had laughed and only reminded them that she was not afraid of them, claiming they were merely the muck under the Pharaoh's chariot.

Jadera felt heartache as she stared back at the young man. She had beed a confident to Lindsey, for years, though they met through Wolfram & Hart. Millions of years had gone by as she gained lovers and freinds and had to watch them as they aged and died, unable to prevent it. She had sworn no more 100 years prior but met a sad and tormented little boy, watching as his father's house was taken away and his family separated. A youthful, childlike face stared back at him. A calm smile adorned her lips and a soft, pleasant but deeper voice reassured him that it was alright. "Of course, Lindsey. You called, I came. What do you wish of me?" Her calm demeanour had mimicked that of Darla's, in her human form but her feelings for him had carried more depth to them. Long golden brown hair had lightened somewhat over the centuries. She had first met him as a lonely and struggling child and as the years past, she watched him grow and had been a cautionary light as he advanced toward his meeting with Holland Manners, in pursuit of joining Wolfram & Hart. Yet, it was not her say to choose his path. Jadera had tried to stay in the shadows and used those shadows to move around him and direct him away from the path that would ultimately lead to dispair and emotional turmoil.

"I don't..... I don't know who to talk to, anymore. I need your help." Tears welled up in his troubled eyes as he started to speak. His head turned as he looked around the room that now filled with more of the night crowd as the first singer was about to take the stage. His heart pounded in his chest, making his ears ring. Catching a familiar face, in the crowd, he hesitated and blinked away his thoughts. He couldn't have been sure of them not seeing him but, knew Angel would stop at nothing to humiliate him, if they had met. "Mind if we take this somewhere more.... private?" 

Laughter and music grew and filled the acoustic room as Lindsey stood and held out a hand for her to take. He had sworn off love and purposely swallowed any thought of letting someone else know his pain. The times of him coming to Lorne and singing his heart out of his own songs and then being read, had ended. He had tried to gain Angel's trust and silently pleaded for them to welcome him to their side, with open arms, only to be laughed at and forced into the cold-hearted claws of Holland Manners and that damned firm. The shock and horror that had flashed on his face, after finding out they had witnessed his moment of humanity, had been more than he could bear. He hadn't been ready to have anyone else see the scared, little boy that shuddered inside him, begging for someone to free him from his black oblivion, just yet.

Lindsey knew Angel could smell fear and was doing his damndest to belittle him with joking insults of his heartfelt song. His pride wouldn't let him be so careless, again.

  


Jadera smiled again, nodding. Her brow furrowed as her eyes took in his unreadable expression "Of course." She stood up and followed him to the stairway, feeling the tingle of being watched by an entity old but not as old as she. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs and glancing back to stare in Angel's direction, her brow furrowed. 

Lindsey had been a few steps ahead of her and stopped midway to look back at her. "Something wrong?" Stepping back down a step, he paused as she turned back to him and headed up to where he waited. It was his nature to wait for a lady and let her walk either in front of or beside him. He noted that something in the bar room made her feel uncomfortable enough to stop and turn around to take in the crowd before continuing. Lindsey hadn't wanted to let it be known that he had spotted Angel from across the room. Instead, he waited for her to catch up and walked with her, feeling more of a protector of her, than a potential scared child.

 

##%%##

 

Gunn's jaw had dropped as he felt her gaze look through him before moving on. "Uh, are we gonna follow them? If she has a PMS problem, like y'all say, he could use some help." Glancing from the stairs to his companions, Gunn motioned for them to leave and find (and possibly help) Lindsey. He was a bit confused when Angel only shook his head and turned away from the stairs. He hadn't been one to argue, seeing as he was the new man of the group and Lindsey was not exactly well received by the vampire, reason being remiss.

"If he is escorting Ja De Ra someplace more private, for-- say, romantic intentions, she might become enraged and harm him before unleashing her wrath against innocent people." Wesley noticed Angel's lack of concern for Lindsey and grimaced. "Ja De Ra might also be able to help us with our current case of the missing obelisk."

Angel sighed, annoyed that they had wanted him to possibly save his nemesis from, in his eyes, a fate Lindsey had deserved. "He's a big boy. He can save himself."

Cordelia was shocked. "Angel. She may be human but Lindsey isn't someone Wolfram & Hart would just leave alone. And, he did do some pretty nice things to help us out. Like--, risking his life to save some children. Or, helping you with that body farm. You haven't always been so pleasant to work with, either. So, maybe, he can't be all bad?" Replacing the glass to her temple, she had recalled how mean she, Wesley and Angel had treated Lindsey, in the past, and it wasn't until they heard him sing that the realisation of his own hurt-filled humanity had pronounced itself.

Annoyed, Angel stood up. "Alright. Fine. We'll go save the pipsqueak from a girl."

"Angel, you misunderstand just how powerful this 'girl' really is. She could decimate Lindsey and, well, this entire city with one wave of her hand. Egyptians held their deities with the greatest of presence. A slight temper tantrum to her, could mean devastating effects for us." Wesley had tried to reason with the thick-skulled vampire and received only a blank stare from his employee.

Scoffing, Angel's brow furrowed in sudden curiosity. "What would she want with Lindsey? And how does this tie in to the obelisk?"

Wesley lowered his voice so that only they could hear his answer. "To achieve the 'Living God' status, the Sun Gon, Ra, required sacrifice." His eyes wandered to the entrance and he stared at the staircase. "If she has the obelisk, and a live sacrifice,--- Once she achieves a god status, I'm afraid nothing will stop her from inflicting destruction."

"Oh god!" Wincing and releasing the glass from her hand, involuntarily, Cordelia threw her head back and spasmed hard against Wesley, who happened to have been watching her and caught her glass before catching her. "She's gonna kill Lindsey?" She panted as the spasms ebbed away and Wesley placed the glass to her temple once again, waiting for her to grab it. Cordelia placed the glass, in her hand, on the bar and stood up, taking two steps towards the stairway.

Angel perked up and moved from the other side of Wesley, to stand in front of her, worry present on his face. "Are you sure?"

"No...?" Cordelia avoided eye contact and wiped at forming tears, recalling her vision. "I saw him on this large stone. These guys in red cloaks walking around him and-- lots of blood. They had this symbol thingy, with an eye." Closing her eyes and sitting still for a moment, she focused on breathing in and out before standing up.

Grabbing a napkin from the bar and pulling out a pen from his shirt pocket, Wesley drew a rushed sketch of the tattoo he saw on Jadera's arm. "Is this it?" Showing it to her, he hoped he was wrong.

Cordelia nodded. "Yea."

"We're saving him." Wesley stated, firmly. The others had nodded and followed he and Angel up the stairway to the parking lot. "There!" Spotting Lindsey's '56 pickup at the far end of the parking lot, to their immediate left, and noticing the crowd of hooded aggressors confronting the young ex-lawyer and his guest, the four of them ran towards the action. "Angel, around the side!" He had called out as two glowing demons in black cloaks fought against a disheveled Lindsey, pulling him from his truckcab and barely holding his own.

Jadera had taken on three demons, at once, before seeing Angel and his group heading towards the two pulling on Lindsey. Mumbling a "no", she had enjoyed the small exercise in cat and mouse but felt the real threat as Angel had showed his vampire side and lunged towards Lindsey. Placing her hands flat against the air and shoving an invisible wall into the two remaining demons, she had been busy with, knocking them across the empty night's street, she made her way around the truck to grab Lindsey by the arm. "Enough!" A great reverberation of thunder carried her word of anger and sent a wave of energy down her body and under the asphalt, forcing it to tremble under the attackers' feet, knocking them all back, from the sheer force of the wave while setting off car alarms around the area. Sighing, Jadera released her hold on Lindsey's arm and examining him as they stood there, briefly. "Your dilemma intrigues me, Lindsey." She gave him a wry smile.

Lindsey took a moment to look around them and watch as the cloaked demons scampered away, terrified of Jadera's continued wrath. Spotting Angel picking himself up from the blast and then helping up Cordelia, he turned to Jadera and told her that they should make a retreat, themselves, before more trouble started. "Demons are the weak link. These guys really have it in for me." Opening the driver's side door and letting her slide in and all the way over, he followed and started the engine in time to see Angel head towards them.

As the truck started moving from the spot it had been backed into, Jadera simply glared at Angel through the driver's side window and dared him to make a move, halting him in his tracks. 

"Now, what do we do?" Cordelia asked as she watched Lindsey's taillights retreat into the darkness of the side street he had turned on to.

Sighing with frustration, Angel stared in the truck's direction. "Now, we follow them." Not waiting for Gunn or Wesley to finish picking themselves up from the ground before making his way over to his convertible and jumping over the door, to sit in the driver's seat, Angel started the engine and backed out of the spot, pausing for the other three to get in and then taking off in the direction of Lindsey's truck.

 

Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

Shade Tree Motel

Lindsey opened the door and let her enter first, after checking to make sure the single room was empty. Flipping the light switch on, he closed the door behind him as he watched her glance around the room. With a quick check of the parking lot, from the side of the window, he cleared his throat and placed his keys on the table. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, or anything?" It had been a low-rent motel that bordered between seedy and "doable" but, he hadn't cared, as long as it kept him hidden, he was fine with it.

Jadera smiled a casual smile and sat down on the side of the bed, protruding from the far left wall. "I'm fine, Lindsey. I am curious, though. The Zanzei Priests sent their minions for you. You are still being hunted by Wolfram & Hart, that much is true. The other group of people, lead by the vampire, intrigues me. What does he want with you? Wolfram & Hart minion, as well?" It had been the eye contact with Angel that told her different but she needed confirmation, from him.

Shaking his head and answering with a low, "no", Lindsey moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Look, I know you don't normally what you do, in these conditions, but I need you to do that thing, to me." Part of him was terrified of her charms while the other part had been desperate enough to ask her for it. He could feel the effects of the first enchantment wearing off and knew he would soon be out in the open for his old firm to find him. He also knew she had the resources to keep him hidden.

Jadera's expression flattened. "This is not a good idea. I can keep you safe, yes but, what you are asking me to do is--" 

"I know." Turning away from her, Lindsey stared at the wall, to his right. When he turned back, their eyes met as a breath escaped him. "I can feel it coming back. All of it. This pain. I don't want it, anymore."

Jadera was confused. "Pain? Lindsey, this is your humanity. This is a precious thing, not something you can get back, once you've discarded it."

"Humanity." Lindsey scoffed. "You know what having a soul gets you, in L.A.? Stepped on. Save a few kids, think you're doing the right thing and all the while, the people that can really help you make up your mind and lead you away from temptation-- the same people going through the same damn struggle you are, only wish to shove you back to the arms that want to destroy you. There was a right choice. A choice to be apart of the 'good' but, they didn't want me."

"So, you believed Holland."

Lindsey stiffened. "Manipulative bastard."

"He was." Jadera nodded. "Lindsey, I keep you in my favour, not just because you showed potential, but because you are the only one that has a good soul. If I take that away from you, you will be left with a void that will never heal. Do you really want this?" She had hoped he would say no, again. It hadn't taken an empath to know he had been hurt, in more ways than one, and was begging for the pain to cease. She waited for a few minutes and let him mull it over before asking again. "Are you sure you want this?"

Nodding, Lindsey kept eye contact with her. "Yes."

Jadera nodded, containing her heartbreak. "Remove your shirt and lie down. Arms at your sides, palms up." Her voice went hollow as she instructed him, standing up and moving away to give him privacy, her back to him. Once he indicated he was ready, she turned around and walked the few steps back to kneel on the floor, beside the bed, facing him. "When I finish, you will feel weak. Like the life has been drained from you. You will need to rest. It may or may not take a few days."

Pushing himself up, onto his elbows, Lindsey gave her a quizzical expression. "What about you? Won't it--?"

"I'll be fine. It will take more from you, than it will from me. Lie back." Inhaling and closing her eyes, Jadera placed her left hand flat on his chest, over his heart and her other hand on her own heart. She chanted the words she had used only a few years prior and before that, hadn't cared to ever say again. The Ancient Egyptian language taught to her by a priest in Menes' court, when she was child now seemed as fluent and natural as her adopted English. Her words had coaxed a bright glow of yellow, that had spindled in the center of his chest, to unravel and ooze it's way into her fingers. Her eyes slid closed as her ears rang with the voice of the High Priest. The chant she had used had not been the one he had asked for but more of a binding spell that would let her conceal his soul within the amulet, around her neck.

Panting, Lindsey groaned. The words that she continued to chant, in a dead language, raked it's way through him, combing out his human pieces; cares, worries, self-doubts and love. As the chanting stopped and the pain subsided, a solitary tear slid from his left eye, caressing him into sleep. His emotions had gathered in his center and out of his body, working it's way up, through her hand on his chest, and into her own. The process was exceedingly slow and felt as if it were trapped in heavy molasses, an effect that had never happened before.

Slipping to the side and hitting the floor in a numbed state, Jadera waited and gathered enough strength to push herself to her feet, forcing herself, in pained strides to crawl overtop of him and collapse onto the bed, beside him. She lie on her right side, facing him and watched him sleep before closing her eyes for a rest of her own.

*(%!

Gunn and Wesley had spent the day asking around for Lindsey's truck, through Gunn's trusted sources. After asking more than few, one resource came through to point them to a motel, in East Los Angeles. By the time they had made it back to the Hyperion, it was after 3 P.M. The summer sun was still at it's highest and they still had yet to come up with a plan to rescue Lindsey, if he was still alive.

"Anything new on your vision?" Wesley asked as he stood at the reception countre. He had noticed Cordelia sitting at her desk, with her hands holding either side of her head, at the temples. Since he and Gunn had been back, he had been concerned about her and her visions. 

Cordelia shook her head but didn't look up from staring at her desk. "Nothing. It's like he just-- isn't connected, you know? I can see him lying down, I can hear these strange words being said and then it's like a burning. And then, nothing." 

"What do you mean, 'strange words'?" Wesley came around the side of the countre and knelt beside her desk.

Cordelia tried to think but the pain was mind-numbing and only let her hear certain parts before sending a shrill ringing to her ears, causing her to flinch away. "Like, something I've never heard before. It sounded old. Really old." The voice inside her head had been garbled so badly that the words had sounded as if they came from a bad connection on a phone or from the bottom of a water barrel. She lifted her head and moved her arms to rest them on the desk as she listened to Wesley move to the bookshelf and search for a book.

When Wesley returned, he had with him a thick book, full of ancient texts and indecipherable languages and incantations as well as their placements. "Can you see what was being done to him?"

Closing her eyes, she thought. "He's lying on a red surface and a hand is on his chest..... and then, it just burns. And the glowing robe guys are back. Like a cycle of some sort." When Cordelia opened them again, she stared at a page from the Ancient Texts, indicating a ritual of taking one's humanity. The text had been written in it's original Egyptian and deciphered into English and medieval Latin. "So that's how they get promoted, in Lawyer Land?"

Wesley shook his head. "This language is a dead language. It has been dead for thousands of years. One person, still living, might be able to speak it. This is a rough translation of a curse of taking one's soul away and keeping it for a later use." 

"You think that woman Lindsey was with is doing this, to him?" Angel stood at the entrance of the reception area and rested on an elbow, at the front desk. His concern leaned more towards protecting innocent people from harm, rather than protecting or saving Lindsey. 

Wesley turned to look at Angel, noting the lack of enthusiasm in the vampire's question. "She is an Egyptian God, Angel. She may be human, here on Earth but, she does not play by our rules. His life could be at stake, with grave consequences. Evil or not, he may need our help." 

The silence in the room had been deafening until the door to the hotel opened and Gunn walked in, holding, what looked like, a medium sized onyx crystal and a talisman with early hieroglyphics on either side. "Got news on the obelisk. A friend of mine heard some talk about these scaly-lookin' Craegohr demons movin' somethin' heavy. Heavy like a big rock with funny symbols on it. He took me to a place underneath Mullholland. Looks like they're settin' up for somethin' big." Walking down the few steps and carrying the items over to the desk, he placed the onyx on the countre and handed the talisman to Angel. 

"Lindsey." Angel stared at the symbol in his hand and contemplated saving his enemy. "Alright, let's find out why this 'Ra' woman wants Lindsey and what she's capable of."

Wesley nodded. "Right. Ja De Ra was one of the most powerful and feared deities of Ancient Rome. After Egypt was conquered by Rome, she had her revenge on some of the most powerful rulers. It's said, she started with Augustus and ended her whirlwind tantrums with Nero. Let's watch ourselves, shall we?" To hear himself say it, he didn't know whether to be excited to finally meet and ancient being and "pick her brain" so to speak or, keep her at a distance from fear of what she might do.

*(%! 

Roma, 68 AD

_Aryas raced down the alleyway and up the solid marble steps of the temple. His brown hair whipped in the breeze as he moved. His toned muscles flexed and relaxed with every movement he made. His chest heaved as he panted with exhaustion. Sprawling to the floor, at her feet, soft blue eyes stared up at the goddess before him. "They are coming!" His handsome, young face, upturned, now dirty from sweat and soot from the ovens of the royal hot baths._

_Ja De Ra smiled softly and knelt down to help the young man up. "Calm yourself, Aryas. They cannot harm me. Nor, shall they harm you." Cupping his right cheek with her hand, she gazed into his eyes and saw his unease wrestle with his will to calm down. Her hair had been done in the ringletted style, although, her Egyptian blood boiled in the ceremonial dress of Roman times. She despised the new world that forced her into such lower, red, garb than that of her ascended kalasiris of the finest Egyptian white cotton. Her lovely gems and turqoise jewlery had been replaced with simple gold rings and heavy gold-plated necklaces. Bejeweled sandals tapped on the polished marble floor as she walked from the centre of the room, where she had stood as she had been worshiped, to the great stone doors and peered out at the city, now set ablaze by the mad emperor._

_She smiled, devilishly. Catching some movement, in the streets below, Ja De Ra focused her sights closer to specific individuals. "So, you seek to destroy me? Miserable peasants cannot be grateful for salvation from a worthless and mad emperor. How petty." As the first sandaled foot stepped up, onto the first step leading up to her ancient and majestic temple, she sighed, angrilly, and set the stone steps ablaze. A massive fire engulfed the man already on the steps and consumed the outside of the building, driving the angry villagers back. Shaking her head and letting the traces of Roman life fall away to engage her true, Egyptian beauty, her onyx hair now straight and long under her cresent moon headdress, symbolising her nocturnal stance under the Sun God, Ra. Elegant white linen clothed her body with a large gold necklace depicting the Eye of Horus. "If you deem yourself worthy, approach me, and be anointed!" Outstretching her arms as the flames rose higher, in the streets of Roma, she smirked as the villagers only cowered in fear._

_Aryas crept closer to watch her as she drove away her would-be attackers. He had been awed by her and her power, as a goddess, but had never seen it. "What will happen now? I've made a mess of things. Wolf, Ram and Hart will surely dispatch me from their service. But, you could relay my deeds to your partners, my goddess. You could tell them to spare me. I can serve you, Mighty Goddess, Ja De-" He had been cut off as Ja De Ra turned from the flames to glare back at him. He fell silent but made no effort to look neither shocked or scared of her tone._

_Ja De Ra smiled and with a wave of her hand, closed the doors as she turned away. "Your deeds have been great, Aryas. My partners and I thank you for your service. However, you are not ready to ascend, just yet. There is still much work to be done. We must smother the rebellion and create our new world." Smiling, sweetly, at him and placing a hand on his left shoulder, she guided him back to her low-rise, half moon chair that she had refused to abandon. She sat and watched as he knelt at her feet. "You are loyal, Aryas. Wolf, Ram and Hart have picked you for that gift. Yet, you hold on to your innocence more than you should." Lifting his chin to meet her eyes, she found herself lost in the oceans of blue and what had once been a young man of 26, now aged to a man of 37. Gasping and recoiling from the sudden leap in time, Ja De Ra stared at him in horror of their surroundings._

Herculaneum, 79 AD

_Ash had filled the night's sky, burning the air with foul fumes and heat. Servants stared out of the tall, stained glass windows as the tremors, below the earth, started again. The floor boiled with heat, causing her bathwater to bubble. Colour on the wall began to bubble and liquefy as it dripped down the walls into pools of yellow and red and azure. What were once lively scenes of divine murals, now looked more like melted blobs of paint. Thick vapours from the outside wafted in and choked the servants by the windows._

_Aryas stood at her side, his head turned away from her to watch the scene outside as servants looked on in wonder. "The world is ending!" His light blue tunic had been replaced by flowing purple robes, acknowledging his higher status that Ja De Ra had helped him achieve._

_Ja De Ra stood from her boiling bath and stepped out, a damp, divine and nude body now stood beside him, awaiting a servant girl to dress her. "No, my love. This is not the end, just yet." Slipping into her offered robe by a young servant girl, who had kept her head bowed and backed away, bowing with each step, Ja De Ra's eyes widened as a massive tremour split the marble floor with a great gash and tore into the depictions of divine symbols, on the walls. "I will speak to my partners. Do not fear, Aryas. I will let nothing bad ever happen to you, my love." She turned to smile at him and touched his cheek before turning and disappearing into a wall with a bright, white doorway._

_She returned to find her lover's house in complete disarray and Aryas nowhere in sight. Searching in the dark with only a single candle that floated along with her, Ja De Ra found him in his bedchambers, sorting through scrolls and books of teachings, desperately seeking incantations to call forth his goddess. Tremours had caused the floors to open wide gashes and heavy pillars to crumble under the weight of piling ash. "Aryas." Her voice was calm and emanated from the dark corridor. "Do not fear. Come with me." She held out a hand as he turned around and stared at her with big, blue eyes. The eyes she had fallen in love with so many ways prior._

_"It has been three days. Where have you been? Are they coming? Will they spare us?" Aryas stood and stepped closer to her but made no move to take her hand. He stood amid the large, broken vases that had contained wine and lamp oils that now carpeted the floors in a sticky and slippery mess. His tunic was painted with blotches of dark, black oil and the bottoms of his sandals were now caked with dirt and dried wet ash. The ash had coloured his once gorgeous, rich chestnut hair with gray. He resembled an old man, dirty and frightened._

_Ja De Ra smiled painfully. "Yes, my love. I will save you from this." Stepping closer to him and pressing her body against his, she kissed his lips, passionately. "Rest yourself, my love." Her fingers lost themselves in his shaggy brown hair as she felt his strong arms wrap around her small waist. "You have wanted me, Aryas. More than what you say. Do you wish me in your bed, now?"_

_Aryas pulled back and took a breath, inhaling her clean scent. "Yes." His lips met hers before scooping her legs up and carrying her to his massive gold-trimmed feather bed. Laying her down on the plush red velvet linen and staring down at her, he began to disrobe. Casting aside his filthy tunic and sliding her long robe up her long, lithe body, exposing her sex, he slipped into her as she gasped in lust._

_In rolling over and gaining the top position, Ja De Ra looked down at her hands, stained by blood, and her lover and confidant, that lie dead by her. "NO!" The tremours shook the ground so hard, the building rumbled as if to crumble a second later. Fire spit from the sky as the oozing hot magma rose ever upward and down the side of the once silent mountain. Pompeii was now a memory and Herculaneum would share the same fate._

Jadera woke with a sharp gasp, staring at Lindsey's still sleeping face, beside her. "Oh, my Aryas. How I loved you." She sat up and looked about the grey room. Morning had begun and everything had been still and quiet. Aryas' palace had melted away and buried under ash and molten fire of Vesuvius' rage as well as her lover whose soul she had melded with hers to escape the destruction. She looked down at Lindsey and placed a hand on his bare chest, feeling the soft thumps of his heartbeat, beneath his warm skin. With a kiss to his lips, she slipped off of the bed and headed for the tiny bathroom, for a shower.

*(%!

Separating the group, Gunn took Angel to where his friend had found the obelisk and demons, in a cavern under Mullholland Drive and Cordelia and Wesley headed to where Lindsey's truck had been spotted. The drive to the motel was a quiet one, albeit, Wesley had asked several rhetorical questions of how to speak to a goddess and not end up as luncheon meat. 

"Which one do you think they're in?" Cordelia asked as they exited Angel's car and shut the doors. "I mean, it's not like we can ask the desk, 'what room is an old ancient Egyptian mummy and her lawyer in?'" They came around to the front of the car and stared at the row of rooms, across the parking lot.

Wesley watched the young woman standing in the doorway of the room, second to the end, furthest from the office. "I don't think that will be necessary." Nodding to the woman that was now staring at the two of them. "Shall we?" 

Cordelia took a deep breath as she started to walk towards the woman. "Alright, but if she starts with that mummy-making stuff, I'm charging extra." They crossed the lot rather quickly and didn't seem surprised that Jadera hadn't moved from the doorway. Cordelia had watched Jadera and noted nothing remarkable about the woman but kept her options open, just in case she and Lindsey had something up their sleeve.

"I give you credit, humans, you certainly know how to follow a lead. Now, you may leave and live to see another dawn." Jadera spoke with the tartest of tongues as she hadn't wanted to find out which side of the battle they were on. She eyed Cordelia as the woman gave her a glare but Wesley had refrained from speaking as he and Cordelia came to a stop in front of her.

Wesley stopped Cordelia from speaking and had rehearsed, in his head, what to say to a living deity and promptly forgot it as they now stood face to face with one. He opened his mouth, half expecting to be shooed away and dismissed without a second thought but, again, froze as Jadera turned to meet his gaze. 

"I know you. You are two from last night. Where is your vampire? The one who harbours such hatred for Lindsey." Raising an eyebrow at them, she smirked. "If you wish a fight, you are outnumbered." She hadn't been ready for a fight as recovering from the night before had taken more from them both than expected. Yet, she had been firm in not letting anyone near the young man she had protected for years. She had held true to her word that nothing bad would harm him, during his tenure at Wolfram & Hart and had contested anyone with such a nerve to do so.

Wesley looked over at Cordelia and then back to Jadera with a shocked tone. "Angel? I'm afraid you're mistaken. You see, we're here to--"

"Silence." Jadera snapped. "It's clear you are not with the other attackers. Yet, you puzzle me. Lindsey spoke of you and said you do not hold him in regards. So, why do you seek him, now? If you've come to destroy him, you lack weapons and skill. Humans rarely make small talk unless they dote the upper hand. You have neither." Her gaze fell on Wesley and waited for him to answer, also listening for movement inside the room, behind her. Her eyes bore through Wesley as the man fumbled for the words to say. She then turned to Cordelia as her patience grew thin.

"Ja De Ra, we hadn't set out to follow you, or Lindsey. We happened to spot him at Caritas and noted that you were with him, just before both of you were attacked by hooded men. I assure you, we were only coming to help." Wesley had found his voice and had spoken up before the woman became too impatient. He nervously swallowed and bit his lower lip as she had directed her attention back to him with a quizzical look. "I can assure you, we had no intention of harming you or he, last night. We were there on a completely different matter."

Jadera replaced her shock with a calm tone and blinked, looking Wesley up and down before responding. "How is it you know my name? Petty mortals do not worship as they once had. False believers, are you?"

"No! No. He means we were on our own mission, when we saw you." Cordelia placed a hand on Wesley's arm to hush him. "Why were you with him? I mean, goddesses rarely hang out with mortals, right?"

Jadera caught the jab at her association with Lindsey and reciprocated the notion. "Mortals rarely 'hang out' with vampires. As it stands, he is under my protection. Wolfram & Hart must not keep you in their esteem to neglect such details." She had grown bored with them and heard a small stir from inside. 

Wesley shifted and swallowed. "Forgive us. We mean no disrespect to you but, we aren't with Wolfram & Hart. Quite the opposite, actually. You see, that mark, on your arm, gave away your identity, last night. Also, we were not the only ones who seemed to notice. Cordelia and I are here to find out why we were lead to Lindsey." His nervousness melting away as Jadera refocused her attention on him.

"Lead by whom?" Jadera stared at Wesley, ignoring his comment about the mark on her arm.

Cordelia butted in and gave a nervous smile. "Trust me, they're a headache." Rubbing her right temple, as the pain from the morning's most recent vision having yet to subside.

"I see." She eyed the younger woman cleverly. Jadera opened the room door and moved aside as Wesley and Cordelia entered. "He only twitches, not much else." Closing the door behind her and crossing her arms, Jadera leaned against the wall, next to the door. She watched them closely as they examined a still unconscious Lindsey.

Wesley stepped closer to Lindsey and placed two fingers at Lindsey's jugular, feeling the throbbing of beats. "What happened to him? A ceremonial vise gone wrong?"

"No!" The air around Jadera crackled with her anger. Calming herself, she answered. "This time has taken longer to recuperate. He is resting. I have not harmed him."

Cordelia turned to the woman, behind her. "If you're a god, can't you heal him, like, poof!?"

"No. I am not a sideshow magician. I was a god when the world was still young and mortals praised me from delivering them from Seth and avenging Horus. Now, not even the history books remember my name. What I have taken from him, takes time to heal." Jadera looked past the two strangers and observed Lindsey's now pained expression. "It is old power; dusty and decayed." Hearing a demonic screech from outside, she turned and cracked the door. "They wear my ministers' garb but, they do not follow me."

Cordelia stood beside Jadera and peeked out the window. "How can you tell?"

"My ministers bore the mark of Horus on their foreheads. They bear the mark of The Black Thorn. Plus, the last of my priests were slaughtered in 67 AD. Nero saw to that, right before he burned Rome to the ground." A mischievous smile returned to her as she thought of the memory. Jadera sat and reminisced for a moment as Cordelia thought about the new knowledge.

Wesley turned and stood up to face the two women. "Now, that makes sense. That was why we thought it was you trying to sacrifice Lindsey. They are trying to framing Ja De Ra for Lindsey's death." He stepped closer to Jadera as she turned around, shocked at his explanation.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a long, painful story." Lindsey groaned and pushed himself up, onto his elbows, glaring over at Wesley. He had been awake for a few minutes but only listened to what "the do-gooders" had to say. 

Cordelia closed the curtain and turned around to reveal a frightened expression. "Uh, guys, we gotta get out of here. Like, now." Jumping and covering a scream as the demons outside wailed and banged their fists against Lindsey's truck hood, trying to call him out of hiding.

Jadera growled. "These impostors are mere slime. I will deal with them. Stay here, with Lindsey." She caught Cordelia's arm as they past each other. "If he is harmed, when I return, you shall be next." 

Brow furrowing, Cordelia held her tongue as the woman left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. "Ten cloaked ghoulies against one woman? Used-to-be-god or not, she's gonna get her ass kicked." Peering out the window again, she groaned as she watched two demons attack the woman and throw her against the wall to the room. She had to admit, Jadera showed some spunk as she only stood, brushed herself off and repaid the brash beings with her own rebuttal. 

Lindsey scoffed and sat up, turning himself to put his feet on the floor. "She can take care of herself. Senior Partners have been trying to take her out for centuries." Holding his head with both hands, Lindsey found that the movement had been a little too fast for him to handle, after being unconscious for so long. His strength hadn't returned yet and he was beginning to feel like a sitting duck, trapped with the enemy while his only ally fought for their way out. His head felt as if he had just woken up with a thick hangover.

"She's good."

"She's a god." Lindsey corrected. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Wesley sputtered for a moment but stepped towards the man on the bed, again. "We thought you were in danger. We were hunting down the obelisk of Amun Hotep, that went missing last week from the display at the Cairo Museum, when we saw you with Ja De Ra. We thought she had lured you here to sacrifice you and resurrect Amun Te Ra, the only god powerful enough to bestow her previous status on her." He knelt down, at the end of the bed, and examined Lindsey from afar, watching his movements for any slowing or slurring of words. "Ja De Ra was an evil deity of Ancient Rome. Before that--"

"Before that she was an Egyptian god, loved by her worshipers. I know the story. The Senior Partners sent those goons here to discredit her because she won't kill me. The Senior Partners want her dead more than they do me. That battle out there isn't about Wolfram & Hart. She gave up her status a long time ago." Lindsey had wanted to stand up but the spinning of the room had prevented that thought from becoming reality. 

Cordelia panted, feeling terrible dread as she fought off the pain from another vision. "More ghoulies. Lots of death." The vision subsided enough for her to collapse to the floor. "We gotta get out of here." Her breathing went ragged as Wesley crawled over to her just before Jadera crashed through the door and slammed into the far wall, on the other side of the bed, knocking her silly but lucid enough to send one last blast to the remaining two demons, now standing in the doorway.

 

Continued.


	3. Chapter 3

Hyperion Hotel

Wesley and Cordelia opened the doors to the lobby and strode in, carrying weapons that had been placed in the backseat of Angel's car, just in case. They had been followed by a strained Lindsey, who carried an unconscious Jadera. It had been Wesley's idea to move them out of the hotel room and back to the Hyperion, for safety reasons. It had been against both Lindsey and Cordelia's agreement. They hadn't paid any attention to who else was in the room as they went about their own activities; Wesley and Cordelia replacing the weapons to the cabinet while Lindsey carried Jadera over to the sofa and placed her on the cushions. 

Cordelia handed the crossbow to Wesley and then hurried over to her desk for the First Aid Kit. She opened it and rifled through it, making sure she had everything well stocked. Closing the lid and making her way over to where Lindsey sat, she knelt on the floor and assessed the two long, deep scratches on Jadera's left arm. "What the Hell are these things?" Asking about the demons that had met them at the hotel room door. She, again, rifled through the kit and found the ointment to apply on the scratches and a q-tip. As she spread the clear gel on to the scratches, she caught Lindsey watching her, out of the corner of her eye. 

"They're a lower class of Craegohr demon. More mindless but, don't stop coming unless they're dead. They found me a few months ago and followed me back here." Lindsey's voice was soft and hoarse. He watched the way Cordelia had been so thorough and tendre with Jadera's injuries as the other woman hadn't regained consciousness, yet.

Closing the cabinet doors to the weaponry, Wesley moved to stand on the other side of the sofa. "Why did you come back to Los Angeles?" He watched as Cordelia wrapped Jadera's wounded forearm in gauze, after cleaning and medicating it.

Lindsey took a moment before answering. "Caritas is the only place they'd leave us alone." 

Angel heard voices that were more than just Cordelia and Wesley and knew that Gunn left him to gather intel from his associates, on other issues. He made his way up from the basement and opened the door. The familiar male voice caused his muscles to tense as a bitter taste settled in his mouth. In turning the corner and entering the lobby, he caught sight of the young man that earned a snarl upon meeting eyes. "What's he doing here?" Looking from Lindsey to the unconscious woman, on the sofa, Angel sighed. "You were just supposed to observe. How hard is that?"

"Hey, don't blame this on me. It was Wesley's idea to bring them here." Cordelia snapped.

Lindsey stood up and sneered back at the grumpy vampire. "Hey, this wasn't my idea, either! These two led those Craegohr demons to us. And, thanks to you, they'll be watching for us at Caritas." Puffing out his chest as Angel made his way over to the circle and visually examined the woman on the sofa, he breathed and remembered he had been outnumbered in their current settings. Lindsey clenched his fists, wanting Angel to step closer to him so that he could beat some sense into him.

"Does she know you're not a good lil boy, Lindsey?" Angel taunted. Meeting the lawyer's eyes, again, he shifted and folded his arms in front of him.

Lindsey's anger rose and caused his fists to clench even tighter since Angel inched ever closer. "Yea, she knows."

Angel nodded and observed Lindsey's protective spirit over the woman. "What makes you think she'll stand by you, with that knowledge in mind? Trying to correct your mistake with Darla?" He smirked as the scent of ire rolled off of his adversary. "She just might be using you to chop you up into little pieces and have her 'god' status reinstated. Ever think of that?" Angel knew he walked a fine line with his last comment and was ready for Lindsey's retaliation. He enjoyed flustering and teasing the young lawyer and debated calling Wolfram & Hart, just to have Lindsey out of his hair. However, that would set off more bells and whistles for Angel, in the process, and he was not willing to put himself in the limelight, just to get back at Lindsey.

"What's she doing here?" Angel grunted.

Cordelia looked up from taping the last bandage in place. "Healing. You should have seen what she did to those ghouls. Practically leveled a three mile radius with that sonic blast of hers." She recalled Jadera's attempt to save them by causing a large tremour under the parking lot, forcing the attackers away, and blowing herself back into the hotel room door, as they hadn't wanted to upset the forceful woman more. Her attention was called back to Jadera as the woman moaned and started coming around. "Relax. You're safe." Her tone was soft and comforting as she urged her patient to remain lying down until her strength returned fully. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she sighed and stood up to turn and look at Lindsey. "Why are you with her?"

Lindsey turned to find Cordelia standing next to him. "Because they're after her, too. Moreso than me." Glancing back to Jadera, Lindsey opened up about their unique relationship. "She was the one that called me to Holland's attention. She's had considerable influence over my position at Wolfram & Hart. Very few people get this much time with her, even the corporate heads have to have months of preparations and ceremonies to even get a moment of her time." Lindsey's expression did it's best to conceal the affection he felt for her.

"So, you two decided to join forces and make one small target, instead of two. Charitable." Tilting his head and smirking at the flash of puppy love Lindsey had tried to hide, Angel moved to stand on the other side of the sofa and stare down, over the back, at the sleeping woman. "They're so afraid of her then, why are they trying to kill her? Or, is it because she won't kill you?" He laughed softly at the irony. "You know, you guys really are a bunch of half-wit losers, over there."

Lindsey huffed, tired of fighting with Angel. "For thousands of years, she was the best at what she had to offer to the company. She didn't simply start on the ground floor."

"So she went right to the top? No personal favours? No mailroom bonding?" Curiosity had taken hold of Cordelia and her brow furrowed as she had become confused by the conversation between Angel and Lindsey. "They just poofed in and made her a CEO of an international hub?"

Shaking his head, Lindsey didn't turn around. His head hurt too much to go into too deep of an explanation. "Much higher. Much more sinister than that."

Angel had begun to get impatient. "How high are we talking?" He gripped the back of the sofa so tight that the wood framing cracked under the force.

Lindsey finally sighed. "The Senior Partners have never approached anyone, themselves, before or since her. A really pissed off god makes for Angellus looking like fuzzy bunny slippers and hot cocoa." He smiled at the anger that boiled in Angel's expression towards the analogy.

"Senior Partners. You mean, she's their right-hand-woman?" Cordelia eyed the sleeping Jadera and took a step away from her.

Lindsey shook his head again. "She is a Senior Partner."

Wesley had remained silent, listening to the exchange while focusing on Jadera. He stood with his arms folded and brow furrowed, for the longest time, before stepping closer to the end of the sofa. "That would explain why the Powers That Be mucked up the vision. They saw her as a threat, not only to Lindsey, but to humanity and, therefore, tried to solve the Senior Partners' trouble by having us kill her, first." Giving his full attention to the sleeping woman, Wesley finished his thought. "They will be coming after her more than Lindsey, with everything they've got. Not just the Senior Partners but The Powers. Lindsey," catching the ex-lawyer's eye, "forgive me, would be just the icing on the cake. So to speak."

Shrugging off the feeling of being called "bait", Lindsey thought about the situation. "She's not that easy to kill. Jadera's survived countless incarnations of evil and good trying to kill her." He had taken offense to the statement Wesley had put together but, in a moment of weakness, pleaded for her life. "If both of our higher ups are after her, then, shouldn't we be figuring something out? The Senior Partners want me dead for leaving but, they want her dead because of what she can offer the do-gooders of the world."

Rubbing his forehead and trying to think through the ache Lindsey's presence was giving him, Angel had had enough. "Then, I suppose we should get some rest. We'll get a fresh start, tomorrow. Wesley can help you find another motel that's safe."

"I can what?" Wesley had been taken aback by the notion. "Angel, they can't leave. Wolfram & Hart will send every known demon and mercenary available after them. This is the safest place for them, right now." 

Angel's eyes opened wide and a shiver raced down his spine. He hated the idea of being in a single room with Lindsey and now, was forced to share his home with the man. "Fine," he snarled. Turning and starting for the stairs in a huff, Angel hadn't cared which room or floor they took, as long as it was far away from his suite. The halls echoed with the slam of his door.

*(%!

Lindsey carried Jadera down the third floor hall, chosing a room that had been revamped and cleaned for guests. Cordelia unlocked the door and opened it before flipping on the lights. He thanked her as she had carried the small backpack of supplies and clothing Jadera traveled with, up and set them down on the chair, beside the window. As he laid the woman down, on the queen-sized bed, he placed his own duffel of clothing down, on the other side of the nightstand.

Cordelia watched how careful he was with Jadera and the care he took in defending her. They loved each other but dared not say it. A nervous smile as she met Lindsey's eyes. "Uh, Wesley has the first watch. But, it's always best to lock the door." She bit her lip out of nervousness. "You know, she must be a great judge of character if she chose you as an ally. I mean, the whole being bad thing isn't something to look for in a person but, you care for each other. I think that has to be a step in the right direction, don't you?"

Smiling at the complement, Lindsey glanced down at Jadera and then back to Cordelia. "She's not as good as you think. She makes me look like.... well... but, thanks."

Cordelia smiled, unsure of what to say. "I'll uh, let you get some rest." Another nervous smile as she backed out of the room and shut the door. She wondered what it was like to be in such a role with Lindsey that romance was only considered a wild card neither would play unless absolutely necessary. She envied Jadera but also loathed Lindsey for his constant threat to Angel. As she made her way downstairs, Cordelia couldn't help but imagine a romantic situation with Lindsey. Shaking her head as she hurried down the steps to the lobby, she mumbled to herself, "gross."

Wesley flipped through the pages of a very thick and old book with an irritation of what their next move was and sighed as Gunn was have the same luck, with another, thinner and less old, book. "Are they settled, for the night?" Asking while reading a few lines of an ancient text, he glanced up only once to see Cordelia's expression as she reached the last step. The expression perplexed him but not enough to ask any questions on the subject.

"Oh, they're just peachy! I'm sure she's up there, right now, waking up and beckoning him to her side so she can smother him in kisses with her goddesslike lips and--" Cordelia stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared at the two men, who had paused to listen to her rant with brows furrowed. "They're fine. All snug as bugs in a moldy old hotel room. I'm going home." Gathering her things from her desk and hurrying out the door, she hadn't bothered to take a final look back at Wesley and Gunn, watching her with mouths agape.

Gunn closed his book and pushed himself away from the countre that he had been standing at and took three steps towards the door Cordelia had briskly walked out of. "Did I miss somethin', here? Who's the 'they'?"

"Of course, you weren't here for that part. Cordelia and I tracked down Lindsey and Jadera and, after Jadera gruesomely slaughtered roughly 10 Craegohr demons, we had no choice but to bring them here, for the night." Wesley sighed and tried to convince himself it had been the right decision to make. So far, he had only convinced himself to formulate the words to the idea. He wasn't even sure he liked the idea of them being there, at all, now that he saw it unfold.

Gun nodded slowly. "Who had that lame idea?"

Raising his hand and quickly recovering to shove the same hand through his short, dark hair, Wesley coughed and shrugged away his answer. "Yes, well, shall we keep looking for how to kill these demons and find the obelisk?"

"So, girl got some skills?" Gunn smirked and opened another book that had been underneath of the one he had just closed.

Smiling and recalling what he had observed from the aftermath and the few that had mistakenly made an effort to succeed where the rest of the pack hadn't, Wesley nodded. "Yes. Several millennia of honing her skills and using her abilities could prove to be a considerable ally for us. However, there is one tiny flaw in that plan."

Gunn waited for the explanation. "What's that?"

"Nothing really. Just the fact that she happens to be one of Wolfram & Hart's Senior Partners." 

Gunn looked up from the book he had perused. He stared at Wesley, in shock of what he thought he heard. "I'm sorry, it sounds like you said she's a Senior Partner at the enemy." He had hoped his ears heard wrong yet, the look on Wesley's face was not one of a jovial mood. 

Wesley's eyes widened but hadn't focused on Gunn's expression. "Oh, quite serious, actually. From what my intel has gathered about her and what Lindsey confirmed, tonight, I'd say she was approached around the turn of the first century. She's known for her temper tantrums and her battle skill is really impressive. Lindsey seems to be unafraid of her. That could work to our advantage."

"We need all the help we can get, right now. Still have to find the obelisk before Wolfram & Hart figure out how to use it." Gunn took a deep breath and delved back into the book he was flipping through as Wesley stepped closer to the countre and helped him.

 

*(%!

 

By the next morning, Jadera had been fully recovered and awake to look about her new surroundings. Lindsey laid beside her, on the bed. He had given her the comforter while he used his jacket to cover himself. Smiling and not wanting to disturb him, she softly placed the comforter over him and slipped off of the bed. Sighing and padding through the suite as the sun slit its rays through the vertical blinds, on the floor, where they were perplexed her. She had remembered a small glimpse of Lindsey standing in the middle of a giant, elegant lobby, arguing with another male voice but hadn't thought it was within reality. She made her way to the door and opened it, quietly.

Jadera stood in the corridor and looked up and down the rows of doors. It had been a strange place to wake up in but, if Lindsey felt safe enough to bring them there and then fall asleep and remain asleep, it couldn't be all bad. She made her way to the lift and stepped inside, as the doors opened. Pressing the Lobby button, she decided to explore their surroundings and make sure they were safe. When the doors opened, she stepped out, into the huge room, feeling as though she had just stepped back in time to Herculaneum and it's polished marble floors and vaulted ceilings and paintings. Making her way to stand where Lindsey stood, in the middle of one circle of chairs, she realised it hadn't been a dream. Movement from across the floor caught her eye and she turned to find Cordelia coming out of the back office. "Where are we?" Making her way over to the countre that had several small piles of books still to go through on it, Jadera paused to see Cordelia jump at the sudden voice.

Cordelia paused and took a deep breath, calming down from the scare she received. "Safe." 

"From whom?"

Cordelia shrugged and continued on to her own desk, placing the book she had borrowed, down on the desk and opened it to a lesser known but more mischievous demon. "I'll keep you posted." She hadn't been paying attention to what the other woman was looking at but heard pages turning and then a bored but audible sound as the turning stopped.

Jadera stared at a page with ancient, indecipherable writing on it and mumbled something under her breath. "I should have known, Tol'kar."

Standing up and slowly making her way over to the countre, Cordelia's brow furrowed. "Tol- what?"

"His name is Tol'karakmyzq. He's a higher chaos demon from the Jerantiq period." Seeing Cordelia's brow furrow even more, she elaborated. "About a thousand or so years before Caesar ruled." Jadera smiled as she remembered simpler, more sinister times. "He was my confident during the Roman collapse. Every chaos demon tries to make a name for themselves and get noticed by Those Ascended. They really like it when humans create a massacre of epic proportions. Tol'kar didn't take his rejection well. I topped his Mesopotamia stunt with my ascension." Jadera sighed and looked down at the red drawing of a rather scaly behemouth of a demon with four front fangs that resembled tusks, vertical eyes that measured three inches long and two inches wide. Long, twisted back horns made to look like extremely long dreadlocks drove the point home that this was a demon not to mess with.

"So, you knew him--?" Cordelia didn't want to finish the question.

The smile faded from Jadera's expression. "Those Ascended are always watching. They are the higher beings on both sides; good, bad. There has to be a tremendous act of force, in one direction, before either side approaches demons, beings, gods, goddesses and such. They are your Powers That Be and Lindsey's 'Senior Partners'." She watched as the realisation set in with Cordelia.

Cordelia shifted. "So, what was your 'big ta-da' moment?"

"Caligula."

"Oh." Quickly, Cordelia changed the subject. "Why do you think it's him?"

Jadera sighed and read a few lines from the page. "Chaos demons of Tol'kar's lineage use idols to bring down their oponents. The obelisk was one of the most powerful centre pieces on Egypt, more concise, my era. I assume you mean Amun Hotep's obelisk, correct? The last time that obelisk was successfully used, Amun Te Ra and his acolytes rained Hell down on Pharaoh Khafra. The obelisk you seek came from Mastabas. After it was raised, priests from all over Egypt came to bless it. After the blessing, it held considerable power of Pharaoh." Swallowing the anger in her throat, Jadera glanced away. "Tol'kar knows they are looking for Lindsey, and to get back at me, he will stop at nothing to see Lindsey receive punishment."

Making his way down the stairs, from the left, Angel finished buttoning his shirt and focused on the deity. "How dangerous is this demon?" Stopping at the landing, Angel raised an eyebrow at the woman standing at the desk and sighed as he knew Lindsey wasn't far away.

Jadera turned to face the vampire on the landing. "You must be 'Angel'. Lindsey's shared so many things about you." She smirked and watched Angel's slow pace as he descended the rest of the steps to the lobby floor.

"Oh, everything 'good', I hope." Angel flashed a smile.

Jadera matched his smile. "Only when naming 'Angellus.' Shame. We're stuck with you."

Sneering and catching movement out of the corner of his right eye, Angel directed his next comment to Jadera's companion. "I can see why you're tagging along, Lindsey. You have the same sense of humour."

Stepping down the carpeted marble stairs and keeping watch between Jadera and Angel, Lindsey sighed at the on-coming headache the day would bring. He had showered and changed and looked around their appointed room and floor for her but changed course after hearing Jadera and Angel exchange words. "I wouldn't put her in the same basket as Wolfram & Hart."

Clearing her throat, Cordelia interjected her own spit into the pyre, "how about we focus on working together to get the obelisk back and avert the decimation of the rest of us poor saps that have to sit and listen to you three 'one-up' each other. We get it; you're bad," motioning to Lindsey and then to Jadera, "she's mass-destruction and," looking from Jadera to Angel with a guilty expression, "you're-- in the middle. There's a lot more at stake than just egos, here." Cordelia blinked at the silent stares that came from the three people. "What?"

"Where is the obelisk, now?" Jadera's expression hardened as she stared at the young woman.

Angel made his way behind the countre to retrieve the onyx crystal and medallion that Gunn had handed over. "Your disciples have the obelisk stashed in an underground vault, under Mullholland. A friend was able to snatch these away. Any idea what they're used for?" Placing both items on the countretop, he watched Jadera's expression as she eyed the medallion. 

Jadera took a deep breath as she stared at the long-dead language written on the medallion. "When I was a little girl, Menes had a Priest in Hikuptah, or what you would call Memphis, in your texts. Menes had a temple to Ptah built, worthy of praise and aspirations for centuries to come. Ptah smiled down on us and Menes governed the land with prosperity and grace. This Priest was secreted there and searched for for young boys to hone his patronage; teach them the priesthood. Several tests were involved, much like the tests of Dali Lama. These tests were so complex that no boy in Hikuptah could answer them with correction. Six tests in all and my brother was the only one to answer five of them. The last test stumped men, priests and king alike."

Lindsey stepped over to stand beside her. "What was the last test?"

"Deciphering this medallion and placing it in it's place on the obelisk of Amun Te Ra by sunset of harvest solstice." Blinking as she caught Lindsey's eye, she feared his next question.

Lindsey swallowed. "The last question wasn't meant to be answered. Was it?"

"No." Jadera shook her head and picked up the medallion, remembering the weight of it as her five-year-old hands held it, before King Menes. "No human should ever learn this language as no human was ever taught. When the Priest placed me before Menes, I was to be executed for my understanding. Horus showed leniency and demanded I be given god status. Horus had written the inscription, himself, and had given it to Menes. By keeping me alive, Menes' kingdom flourished."

Angel's brow furrowed. "How does your scaly friend with the horns figure into all of this?" Noting the book open to the page of Tol'karakmyzq. 

Jadera looked down at the page and then back to the crystal, picking up the gem and holding it in her hand. "The first time Amun Te Ra was risen, Tol'kar was the keeper of the obelisk's summoning crystal. Therefore, he kept the obelisk, an item that was not meant to leave Mastabas or be found, at all. Some history was meant to remain buried."

"So, when is this solstice thingy supposed to take place?" Cordelia took the medallion from the woman's right hand, eyeing the strange writing and turning it, countre-clockwise to see if it would make sense.

"Tomorrow night." Jadera's tone was flat.

 

Continued.


End file.
